The present invention relates in general to medical instrument sharps containing and disposal devices and more particularly to such a device which is adapted to facilitate the positioning of medical instruments thereon during medical operations before removal and disposal of the sharps associated with such instruments.
It is common practice during surgical operations for the surgeon to request a syringe with a certain volume of medication for use during the course of the operation, portions only of such medication being injected at any one time. During the intervals between injections, there is a need for a device for positioning the syringe in a sterile safe environment. Presently such syringes and surgical scalpels are commonly simply laid upon a sterile table top when not being used. These items can be accidentally bumped, jostled or otherwise allowed to roll off of such sterile table top in such a manner that not only must such instruments be replaced in a sterile manner, but they may become a hazard to the health of the surgeons and assisting nurses if any one of them is scratched, or receives a skin puncture, by the needle point, blade point or other pointed end of a sharp surgical instrument. This is particularly dangerous to the medical staff where the patient has a communicable disease.
It has thus been recognized that there is a need for a way of handling such syringes, scalpels and related surgical instruments during and after a surgical operation in such a way that medical hazards are not presented to the operating room staff. It would thus be desirable to have a disposable container for disposal and storage of such sharps which could also be employed during and after an operating room operation for positioning and holding such syringes or scalpels in a sterile and secured stationary manner so that the operating room staff, whether it be the operating doctor or surgery room nurse can easily manipulate the sterile instrument for repeated, intermittent use with the instrument being maintained in a safe, non-hazardous and sterile condition during the intervals between such uses.